Bond Construction Plan

Overbudgeted, Overdue

5 Schools Not Built

50 Renovations Incomplete

The bond construction program advertised to voters in 1986 was promised to cost $678 million and pay for 39 new schools and renovate and repair 78 old ones.

The projects were supposed to have been completed in 1991.

Instead, the program has cost more than $1 billion so far five of the planned schools are not built and 50 of the promised renovations and repairs have not been made, a report issued on Thursday by the State Attorney's Office shows.

Completion of the construction program is expected to cost $257 million more.

What happened to the $678 million, made up of $40 million in anticipated state money, $321 million in local taxes and $317 million in bonds?

According to investigators:

-- More than $380 million was diverted to other projects, including $25.74 million toward the administrative complex, $32.5 million on a computer network and $31.7 million on portable classrooms.

-- Budgets for renovations were slashed by 15 percent because of the computer network, but district officials did not reduce the scope of the projects in their advertisement to voters. The 28 projects that have been completed posted 55 percent cost overruns.

The 16 new elementary schools posted cost overruns of between $236,000 and $3.7 million each.

Four of the five new middle schools posted overruns of between $1.2 million and $3.8 million. Three of the four new high schools posted overruns of between $1.4 million and $14 million. From the start, district officials greatly underestimated the revenue available.

Instead of $678 million, they estimated $845 million, $167 million more than planned, because of interest expected on the bond money and other revenues.